The pressure is rising for Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Gary O’Neil. The bad results continued into this week for the Old Gold, after West Ham United got a crucial 2-0 win over their relegation rivals. That leaves the Midlands club in 19th place in the Premier League with nine points to their name.
The Old Gold are rumoured to be targeting Jose Mourinho as an ambitious £5m replacement according to reports. Well, the legendary manager is good but not a magician and would need his entire squad to pull together as they look to keep the club afloat in the Premier League.
Matheus Cunha would no doubt be a crucial player under Mourinho, as he looks to continue his fine form this season.
Cunha’s stats in 2024/25
Despite the Old Gold being the second-worst side in the Premier League, according to the table, Cunha is actually having a phenomenal season. He has played all 15 games for the club in the top flight so far, scoring seven goals and grabbing three assists.
Impressively, the Brazilian forward has scored or assisted multiple goals in a single game twice this season. Unsurprisingly, they have both been matchwinning contributions, against Southampton and Fulham.
Against the Cottagers, he scored twice and grabbed an assist to help his side win 4-1 away from home.
He is actually on track to exceed his goals and assists total from the 2023/24 campaign, where he was impressive, too. The Brazilian forward scored 12 goals and had seven assists in 32 games last term, an average of 0.59 goal involvements per game. At his current rate of 0.66 goals and assists per game, he will beat that.
Not only does Cunha look Wolves’ best player by watching him, as games such as the 4-1 win over Fulham show, but he leads the way in many different stats this season, as per Sofascore. That includes the most big chances created with nine and the most combined goals and assists with ten.
Stat
Number
Rank
Goals
7
1
Assists
3
=1
Goals and assists
10
1
Big chances created
9
1
Key passes per game
1.9
1
Dribbles completed per game
1.8
=1
It is fantastic that Wolves have such a deadly player in attack, but they do not have many players who can profit from his creativity, aside from the in-form Jorgen Strand Larsen, who has six top-flight goals.
To give themselves the best chance of survival, the Old Gold have been linked with someone who could also form a great partnership with Cunha, potentially under Mourinho.
Wolves' search for a striker
The player in question here is Cunha’s fellow Brazil international Igor Jesus. According to a report from Brazilian news outlet UOL last week, Wolves are interested in signing the £16m striker in the January transfer window. However, they will face competition from Everton for his signature.
Jesus currently plies his trade in his homeland for Botafogo, after leaving UAE outfit Shabab Al-Ahli earlier in 2024. He has impressed so far for Fogo, scoring eight goals and grabbing five assists in 31 games for the club.
The 23-year-old scored on his debut for his national team, for whom he has featured in the same squad as Wolves midfielder Andre but not Cunha. The goal will certainly pique the interest of the Molineux faithful, making a late run across goal to meet a cross and direct it home with his head.
This signing could be the perfect one to link up with Cunha. Jesus could be the man to convert all the chances his compatriot creates. To have three assists despite having created nine big chances is not a good reflection of Wolves’ attackers.
However, bringing in a clinical machine like Jesus could be the player Cunha needs to put away his chances, and they could develop a formidable partnership together. This could certainly go a long way to pulling Wolves out of the relegation zone, particularly should that man Mourinho take charge in the near future.
The Portuguese coach enjoyed notable Premier League success in the past when deploying his own Brazilian marksman, with Diego Costa – who was also briefly on the books at Molineux – having scored 25 goals in just 57 games under the serial winner at Chelsea.
Signing Jesus, then, makes a lot of sense for Wolves. They would be showing intent by backing rumoured new manager Mourinho early, whilst £16m doesn’t blow all the budget and leaves some for other investments.
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However, the Old Gold board would be signing the striker they, and Cunha, need, to help survive relegation from the Premier League.
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1 ByKelan SarsonDec 12, 2024